Face Down
by HamhaPHKFan
Summary: Maggie is being abused by her boyfriend, and the only ones who notice are the ones who don't understand.
1. Chapter 1

Maggie placed her make-up onto the counter. After taking one last look in the mirror to make sure nothing was visible she walked out of the bathroom and yawned. She didn't get a lot of sleep that night, and it didn't help that she got up at six in the morning.

Maggie tiptoed passed the bedroom where her boyfriend was sleeping soundly. She didn't want to wake him up. Maggie went into the kitchen to fetch herself a cup of coffee before going to work. She blew some of her curly blonde hair out of her face and tried to dry the coffee she spilled onto her jeans. She huffed. That was going to stain.

"Forget it." Maggie said with a thick Australian accent. She picked up her purse and car keys, then walked out the front door.

Maggie had a job at the Rand Corporation, but she mostly found herself working at NEST; a top secret government organization. It didn't hold the kind of secret that would embarress a child if it was spread around the classroom; no, it was a secret that could get someone killed if they weren't careful enough. Maggie couldn't even give her boyfriend a lot of details because he wasn't directly involved.

Maggie walked to her car with a smile on her face. She was about a thirty minute drive away from work, and to be honest she couldn't wait to get there.

Earlier that morning her partner, Glen, called her and told her that he made an important discovery. He refused to say anything about it over the phone for fear that they might be overheard. Maggie didn't argue because Glen was right. It was never completely safe to talk at NEST headquarters either. Enemies could hack into their network and listen to their conversations at any time, even with defenses in the system that the biggest computer geek could only dream of.

After hearing Glen's excited voice, Maggie couldn't wait to get to work and find out what he discovered.

* * *

><p>Ratchet folded his arms in front of his chest. He cycled his vents for the umpteenth time in an attempt to calm down and stop himself from throwing anything harmful at his patient.<p>

Ironhide was throwing a fit, again. It wasn't anything unusual, but it was highly annoying to everyone around him. The Autobot Weapons Specialist gotten himself damaged in a fight with a rouge Decepticon and had his right cannon busted. It was his own fault, really. He was restless for a few days before hand and was itching for a fight.

After carelessly charging into battle, Ironhide ended up having a tantrum in the med bay because Ratchet told him to go into recharge.

"Primus forsaken Decepticon! I'm going to tear his slaggin' axle in half!"

Ratchet decided to stop stalling and calm the ranting robot before he tried to blow up the base. Again. Ratchet spoke with an unidentifiable accent. "Not now, you aren't. Lay down."

Ratchet wasn't surprised when Ironhide ignored him and continued shouting profanities about something that was partially his own fault. Ironhide was tired, and when he was tired he was grumpy and irrational. To make the situation worse he was grumpy, irrational and angry, though the humans and Autobots outside knew that from the racket coming from inside the med bay. It was a life threatening combination.

Ratchet pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning on. He picked up a wrench off of his desk and approached his patient. "Quiet down, you're behaving worse than a sparkling!"

Ironhide stopped his rant, but he was still stubbornly refusing to rest. He grunted. "I'm just fine."

Ratchet threw the wrench he had into the air and caught it again, repeating the process numerous times. He looked absolutely murderous. "Let me put it this way. You either go into recharge by your own free will, or _by force._"

Ironhide laid down without any more complaints, though he did mutter something about a 'wrench wielding piece of scrap' before powering down his optics and quickly falling into recharge. Satisfied, Ratchet turned to the broken cannon on his desk.

It was about two minutes before he heard a door open and someone pause midstep. A femme's voice reached his audio sensors. "Oh. Sorry, wrong room."

Ratchet recognized the voice before he saw who came in. Slightly annoyed from being disrupted, he turned his head to see Maggie Madsen standing under an open doorway, embarressed. Ratchet forgot about Ironhide. He instantly went into doctor mode and turned around completely to scan the injury the femme seemed to be trying to hide.

"What happened to your cheek?" Ratchet asked, gesturing to Maggie's face. Maggie froze for a second and wondered how he noticed. With a sigh of defeat, Maggie brushed the make-up off of her face and revealed a bruise. She looked away, noticing Ironhide's still form on the other side of the room, and tried to come up with a lie.

"I... fell." Maggie said while not making eye contact. Ratchet's optics narrowed sharply. It was impossible to lie the the Autobot medic. He could sense someone's heart rate in a matter of nanoseconds. Luckily, humans had slightly more leeway than the Autobots when it came to keeping something away from Ratchet. Maggie looked up. It was obvious that Ratchet wasn't convinced. "On the way here, I tripped... And fell."

Ratchet nodded and reached over for something that Maggie couldn't see from where she stood. After a few seconds Ratchet turned back to Maggie and handed her a human sized ice pack. "You should be more careful."

"I'll try." Maggie said, giving Ratchet a small smile. The smile faded when Maggie looked at the ice, looked at Ratchet and looked back to the ice again.

Ratchet resisted rolling his optics and explained. "Ice eases the swelling. You should keep the pack on for fifteen minutes."

"Ah." Maggie nodded. She put the ice onto the bruise and cringed slightly at the cold. "Thanks."

Ratchet gave another nod and returned to what he was doing before Maggie came in. A buzz from Maggie's cell phone indicating a text message reminded her that she had to get to Glen. He was the only one who ever texted her, anyway. Maggie turned around and walked out through the door she came in.

Ratchet knew Maggie had lied to him. Her heart rate paused when he asked her about her injury before it started beating rapidly. She seemed to be trying to stay away from the subject so he decided not to press the matter. Maggie didn't have a Decepticon scent on her, so it wasn't anything to do with the war. Ratchet shrugged and let it go.

The Autobot medic lifted a Cybertrontian sized wrench and started tinkering with the multiple pieces Ironhide on his desk. The Weapon Specialist didn't even stir when Maggie and Ratchet were talking, proving that he really was tired, though he would never admit it.

It took a few more minutes to fix the cannon. Ratchet looked over his handiwork, then walked over to Ironhide's offline form and kicked him.

Ironhide jolted out of recharge and looked around rapidly. His optics rested on a smirking Ratchet. Ironhide scowled, while Ratchet nodded and gestured for Ironhide to lift his arm up. Ratchet picked up the cannon off of the desk and started to reattach it, leaving Ironhide to do an internal check-up.

The Weapon Specialist frowned when he saw the time. "Why did you make me go into recharge if you were going to be done that quickly?"

Ratchet's smile widened. "Because I can."

"Fragger." Ironhide grumbled.

Ratchet stood up and placed the wrench onto his desk. He stepped back to give Ironhide room. "Alright, you're fixed. Get out."

Ironhide rolled his optics and got up without a complaint, though internally he was plotting revenge. Ratchet knew what Ironhide was thinking but brushed it off since his patient was tired and couldn't think straight. Ironhide walked out of a doorway big enough for all of the Autobot's to fit through. Even their boss didn't have to constantly bend down to get around.

Ratchet threw a wrench at Ironhide, missing only so he could startle the Autobot. "And go recharge, slaggit! I don't want to drag your aft back in here because you went into stasis on the target range!"

* * *

><p>Ironhide was walking towards the makeshift Autobot hanger with a scowl on his face. Ratchet was full of scrap. Ironhide knew his limits, and was smart enough not to push them. Ratchet didn't need to remind him to go into recharge.<p>

Maggie turned around corner after corner, finally giving up when she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was anymore. NEST had gone through so many renovations to fill both the soldiers and the Autobots needs; like the giant medical station she was in ten minutes ago.

Turning one last corner, she saw an extremely grumpy Autobot heading her way. She tried to turn around, but it was too late. Ironhide stopped and made eye contact with Maggie. "Why is there ice on your face?"

Maggie bit her lip before responding. "Ratchet."

"I know that," Ironhide snorted and rolled his optics towards the roof. Who else would it be? Ratchet was the humans doctor as well. NEST didn't want to tell anyone else about the Autobots existence on Earth, so no human doctor was hired. Ironhide look back to Maggie. "Why?"

"I fell." Maggie said, accepting that it was her excuse. It might not have been a very convincing one, but that's what she said to Ratchet earlier. If she said something different to Ironhide it would be obvious she wasn't telling the truth.

Ironhide wasn't as good as Ratchet when it came to reading humans vitals, but he could tell that something was off about the femme's story. He was about to ask Maggie why she was lying to him when her cell phone rang and she answered.

"Hello?" Maggie paused to hear her impatient friend on the other line. "...Yes, I'll be right there."

Maggie said her goodbyes to Ironhide and took off. Ironhide grunted and continued toward the Autobot hanger to get some ordered recharge.


	2. Chapter 2

Maggie walked over to a trash can and threw the melted ice inside. She guessed that she had kept the ice on too long, seeing as she could no longer feel her face. Maggie looked to her left and saw Sam and Mikaela walking towards the Autobot's makeshift hanger. The two teens were laughing and teasing each other.

Mikaela smirked and glared playfully at her boyfriend. "He's just a friend, Sam."

"I don't know. You looked pretty happy sharing your lunch with him." Sam said and faked being hurt. Mikaela smiled evilly.

"Maybe I'm just trying to make you jealous." She said putting a hand through her hair. Her smile grew. "Like you said, I have options."

"Yeah, but I'm too cute for you to leave me." Sam finished that sentence by giving Mikaela his best puppy dog pout. Mikaela rolled her eyes then stopped walking when she heard a familiar engine rumble.

Both she and Sam turned around to see a yellow Camaro drive up to them by itself. It's radio clicked on and started broadcasting a sports station. "_And he's back in the game_!"

"Hey, Bee." Sam greeted as the Camaro transformed into his Autobot guardian. Bumblebee let out a series of chirps and screeches as his own hello.

Bumbleblee looked towards Maggie with a few beeps of confusion and questioningly played the chorus of Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby'.

Maggie frowned, annoyed and worried. How many people, human or alien, were going to ask about her bruise? She thought she hid it well, but obviously she didn't. The frown disappeared as quickly as it formed and Maggie repeated the excuse she told Ratchet and Ironhide earlier. "I fell."

Bumblebee blinked his optics, then shrugged and turned his attention back to Mikaela and Sam, apparently losing interest. He started explaining as best as he could that he had to go with some other Autobots to investigate a possible Decepticon sighting.

* * *

><p>"Maggie!" Glen said while flailing one arm over his head to get his partners attention. When Maggie looked at Glen he motioned for her to come to where he was. "Over here!"<p>

Maggie speed walked over to Glen and handed him a coffee. He slurped it gratefully, then started opening a file on his computer.

"Listen to this," Glen whispered, playing an audio file he had managed to record. Screeches and clicks came out of the speakers, and the two technicians immediately knew what it was. Glen explained anyway. "It's Cybertronian. I managed to record one of the Decepticons conversations, but I don't know what it says."

Maggie laughed at Glen's frustrated pout and patted him on the back. "We have to tell the Autobots."

Glen nodded, suddenly cheerful again. He put the file on a USB stick and he and Maggie headed for Major Will Lennox's office.

Maggie noticed Glen never said anything about her bruise.

* * *

><p>Major Will Lennox opened his office door to see an overly excited Glen waving a USB chip in front of his face. Maggie stood next to Glen with her usual serious expression. Will raised an eyebrow and directed a question at Maggie. "What did he do this time?"<p>

Glen looked slightly offended and Maggie laughed. She knew Will was referring to the time Glen caused a blackout all throughout the base. It was three hours before anything started working again. "Something good this time, I assure you."

"I'm not assured." Will chuckled at Glen's 'are-you-serious' face before letting the two technicians inside. Will gestured for them to sit down while he grabbed another chair for himself. "Did you find something?"

Maggie nodded and Glen answered. "Decepticon chatter. Don't know what they're saying, though."

Will nodded. He held out his hand, silently asking for the USB chip. Glen handed it over and Will spoke up. "Most of the Autobots aren't here right now. A potential Decepticon signal was detected and they're out scouting for it. I think Optimus is still here, though."

"I just saw three of the Autobots a little while ago." Maggie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Ratchet and Bumblebee just left a few minutes before you came here." Will said. He smirked. "I'm pretty sure everyone who was outside of the med bay earlier today knows why Ironhide didn't go."

The two technicians looked to each other, then back to Will. They understood immediately.

Will stood up and headed for the door, holding it open for Maggie and Glen. "I'll make sure the Autobots see this. Thank you."

Glen smiled. "No problemo."

Will never said anything about Maggie's bruise, either.

* * *

><p>It was midnight, and Maggie was driving home. She received an angry call from her boyfriend, demanding her to come home and make him dinner.<p>

Will Lennox had not contacted her about the situation, even though it was hours after he said he would talk to the Autobots. As far as she knew, nothing drastic had happened, so she didn't understand what the hold up was.

Maggie parked her car in her driveway, walked into her house and closed the door. She stepped into the kitchen and placed her purse and car keys onto the counter. She was about to take her coat off when the lights flickered on.

Maggie spun around, eyes wide. Her boyfriend stood a meter away from her, his hand on the light switch. He was almost a foot taller than Maggie, with pale skin and baggy clothes. His short, light brown hair shielded his face from view. Maggie took a small breath and smiled when she saw him. "Joey."

Joey studied the kitchen for a moment, his blue eyes darkened, then he frowned. "You didn't bring home any groceries."

"Well, no..." Maggie shrugged, shifting her footing. "All the stores nearby are closed right now."

"You could have bought them earlier!" Joey snapped, taking a step forward. Maggie almost failed at stopping herself from jumping back at the tone in his voice. "I'm not accepting any more excuses!"

"I'm sorry, I'll drive to the city and get you something now, okay?" Maggie backed up slightly as her boyfriend took another step towards her. "Please, you don't have to do this. Jo-"

Maggie felt something hard smack her across her face and she tumbled backwards, hitting her forehead on the round edge of the counter. Joey wiped his hands on his jeans. "Great, you got make-up on me!"

Maggie bit her lip to hold back tears. She stayed in her position on the ground, believing it to be the safest place to be at that moment. It was sad that she was probably right.

Joey frowned. "Well, get going!"

Maggie drove for an hour to get food, and an hour back to the house. When she got home it was two in the morning and Joey was asleep on the couch. Maggie proceeded to put the groceries away and then walked upstairs to her room.

She didn't get a lot of sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Maggie placed her make-up onto the counter. After taking one last look in the mirror to make sure nothing was visible she walked out of the bathroom and yawned.

Maggie tiptoed passed the couch where her boyfriend was sleeping soundly. She didn't want to wake him up. Maggie went into the kitchen to fetch herself an ice pack before going to work. She placed the ice pack onto her face and tried to ease the swelling of her bruises.

"Forget it." Maggie said. She put down the ice pack, then walked out the front door.

Maggie walked to her car with a blank look on her face. She was about a thirty minute drive away from work, and to be honest she was nervous about going there.

Earlier that morning her partner, Glen, called her and told her that the Autobots and a few soldiers at NEST were going to have a meeting. He refused to say anything about it over the phone for fear that they might be overheard. Maggie didn't argue because Glen was right.

Maggie went back to work with her fingers crossed.

* * *

><p>Maggie walked into NEST and looked around her, trying to stray away from as many people as possible. She turned a corner and almost ran into Ironhide, who looked down at her questioningly.<p>

"You should know by now that make-up isn't very good at hiding bruises." Ironhide grunted. Maggie's face turned light pink and she turned away from him. Ironhide rolled his optics. He found it weird that humans could change their colour on command. "Are you at least _trying _not to fall down all the time?"

Maggie opened her mouth to respond but closed it when she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly blinked them away before Ironhide noticed them, then abruptly turned around and walked out of the room.

Ironhide snorted, once he knew Maggie was out of hearing range. He would never understand why human femmes were so emotional.

* * *

><p>"Courtesy of Glen, we have a recorded Decepticon conversation." Will glanced at Glen to see the technician salute sloppily. Will held the USB chip up slightly to confirm his statement. He plugged it into the computer beside him and waited for it to load.<p>

Will took a moment to glance around the room. Robert Epps, Will's Chief Master Sergeant, stood next to him, casually. Optimus and Ratchet stood silently behind him, though they were probably communicating with each other through an uplink. Glen stood father away near a few soldiers with a never fading smile on his face. Will noticed Maggie wasn't there yet. Shrugging, he turned to the computer and played the recording.

A series of clicks and screeches sounded throughout the room. Ratchet and Optimus dimmed their optics and focused completely on listening to the fast paced conversation that only their kind understood. The recording lasted for about a minute before it was cut off. Optimus shifted his footing, seemingly uncomfortable. Ratchet, on the other hand, was fuming.

The tension in the room became almost unbearable. Will watched the two Autobots with an eyebrow raised. Epps, on the other hand, wasn't so subtle. "Is it bad?"

"A few insults. Nothing to glitch about. Starscream and Megatron are just trying to push our buttons, the fraggers." Ratchet responded, snarkily. Optimus appeared to be lost in thought. Ratchet snorted. "Near the end, Megatron started speaking some sort of code. It will take a while to decipher it."

Epps nodded. "So it is bad."

"Not necessarily." Ratchet shrugged. "Still, it's the Decepticons."

Epps bent his head down and cracked it. It hurt his neck to stay tilted upwards that long. Optimus spoke for the first time during the meeting. "Will, would you play the end of the recording again?"

Will raised an eyebrow, but complied. Quick beeps and buzzed that were apparently not Cybertronian played again. Ratchet could see the recognition his leader's optics. The medic blinked. "What is it?"

Optimus stayed silent, thinking of a way to say what he knew to the group of humans in front of him. After a long moment, he spoke.

"Long before the war, when Megatron first became a soldier, he tried to make his own code to use in battle." Optimus explained. "He gave up many years before he formed the Decepticons, but he appears to have renewed it since then."

Ratchet's optics widened. "Do you know what he said?"

"A few words." Optimus replied, crossing his arms. He glanced at the other occupants in the room. "'I, the toll, death, and spark.'"

Everyone in the room went silent, trying to think of how many ways the full sentence those words may form could end badly. The corners of Will's mouth twitched downward.

There was the sound of a door opening, and all eyes looked over to see Maggie blushing with embarrassment. She raised her hand quickly in a small wave. "Sorry. Lot's of traffic."

Will nodded and Maggie walked over and stood next to Glen, who whispered the events of the meeting into her ear. Will took a step forward an put on a serious face. "We'll keep you all posted if anything else is found. Dismissed."

All of the soldiers marched out of the room, with Glen and Maggie shuffling behind them. Will and Epps walked over the the Major's quarters to discuss a course of action that may have to be taken. Optimus and Ratchet watched Maggie walk out of the room, the former tilting his head to the side slightly and the latter crossing his arm and glaring.

Ratchet suddenly requested an uplink with Optimus, which the Autobot leader accepted.

_'Do you know how we will figure out the rest of the message?' _Ratchet questioned, receiving a nod from his leader.

_'Megatron had kept to a specific pattern. Each tone was a different syllable.'_ Optimus cycled his vents. _'Megatron wouldn't let us hear the message unless he wanted us to.'_

Ratchet's optics widened in alarm. _'You think he meant for us to record the message?'_

Optimus nodded, but he didn't reply. The two friends stood silently for a few moments before Ratchet spoke again.

_'Maggie had less wounds than that yesterday.' _Ratchet's glared at the door the technician had stepped out of. '_She lied about it, too. She even said the same thing to Ironhide and Bumblebee.'_

Optimus frowned and nodded. _'Were her injuries inflicted by a Decepticon?'_

_'No.' _Ratchet responded, his optics narrowing further. Optimus heard Ratchet's cooling fans activate and the Autobot leader shook his head.

_'We shouldn't get involved in the humans personal lives.' _Optimus responded tiredly. He spoke again when he saw Ratchet was about to object. _'I am concerned as well, old friend. If it gets worse, I allow you to investigate. But, if Ms. Madsen orders you to stop, do so.'_

Ratchet grunted in acknowledgement and ended the conversation, his fans slowing down to a stop. Optimus smiled slightly and headed for the exit. Ratchet put his hand on his leader's shoulder to stop him from leaving. "There's nothing important going to happen for a while. Go recharge."

Optimus nodded, finding that going with what the medic wanted was easier and much less painful than trying to argue with him.


	4. Chapter 4

Maggie walked through the large hallways of the NEST base cautiously. She slowed down to look around a corner before continuing on her way. She didn't want to run into anybody and have them question her again.

Maggie rubbed her eyes, tiredly. She had slept on the couch that night, which was very uncomfortable. Joey had been upset, and Maggie believed he would calm down quicker if she left him alone. It didn't work, however. Joey had been angry the entire night.

It was almost five in the morning, and Maggie had to drink two entire cups of coffee to wake up. Most of the soldiers were up by that time, though. Ironhide was showing a few of the NEST members what to do if a Decepticon had them pinned to the ground. Whenever they were trapped by a Decepticon, there was only one chance they could get out. They had to shoot at the optics.

For safety reasons, the guns the soldiers were using for practice were fake. Once, a gun with ammo shot at one of the Autobots and they were stuck with Ratchet to get repairs. The soldier who fired the gun was scolded harshly by the medic.

There was no other Autobot around. They were usually active for a few days before recharging for about half of a day. Maggie guessed that it was the day most of them recharged.

Sam and Mikaela weren't there, either. That wasn't surprising. Mikaela usually showed up around seven in the morning on weekends, while Sam showed up around lunch time, using the excuse that growing men need their rest. Bumblebee was Sam's guardian, so the Autobot usually stayed with the boy.

"Hey, Maggie." Maggie jumped at her name being called and turned around with her eyes wide open. She saw Will walking towards her. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Maggie let out a small breath before she smiled slightly. "I'm fine. You just startled me."

Will nodded, still smirking. "You're here early today. Usually you get here around seven."

"I thought I should come earlier." Maggie replied, glancing down at her shoes before looking at Will again. "I was late yesterday."

"It's_ fine, _Maggie." Will let out a small chuckle. "Did Glen tell you everything that happened during the meeting?"

Maggie blinked and shrugged slightly. "Sort of. He said you listened to the recording, there was a bunch of insults, and something that wasn't Cybertronian. Is that right?"

"Yeah. The last part was part was a code that Megatron made." Will said. He looked over at Ironhide, who had stopped practicing and was instead having a conversation with the soldiers. Will looked back to Maggie, a smile creeping onto his face. "Optimus spent a few hours trying to decipher it, but Ratchet caught him and yelled at him to recharge."

Maggie laughed in amusement. "Was there any progress in figuring out the message?"

"He figured out another few words, but it still doesn't make sense." Will's eyebrows furrowed and he frowned.

Maggie became slightly concerned, but she didn't show it. "Can you tell me what you know so far?"

Will nodded. "I know, the toll of, weighs, your spark."

Maggie stayed still, unsure of how to respond. One of the soldiers that was practicing with Ironhide took a step towards the technician and the major. "Major Lennox?"

Will started walking towards the group of soldiers. He stopped suddenly and turned around to face Maggie. "Glen's been bugging me to tell you to go see him about something. He was too excited to tell me what it was about, though."

Maggie smiled and waved goodbye. She began walking down the base again. The area seemed familiar, and Maggie tried to find a way to confirm she was in the right place. Glen was an impatient person when he was excited, so Maggie looked around a little bit quicker than normal to find the right door. She became slightly frustrated, realizing she was lost again. There was no one around to give her directions, either.

Rubbing her arm unconsciously, Maggie quietly stepped towards the door she hoped led where she wanted to go. Maggie felt like she recognized the door, but she wasn't sure. She paused outside of the door and listened to check if anyone was inside. After a few moments of silence, Maggie twisted the knob and opened to door.

Maggie took a few steps inside, trying to remember what room it was. There didn't appear to be anyone around. There was a few large slabs of metal that looked somewhat like a mixture of a table and a bed, but were too flat and too high off of the ground to be comfortable. There was a few tools on a giant table in front of her, and the walls were colored white and grey. Maggie mused that the room looked more like a hospital than anything else. A really big hospital.

Suddenly, Maggie realized where she was. She had wandered into the medbay again. She was grateful that Ratchet wasn't there, or he might have confronted her again. Deciding to leave before anyone showed up, Maggie started walking towards the door when something green caught her eye.

Maggie's eyes widened and she paused midstep. Ratchet was parked in his vehicle form on the other side of the room. Maggie stared at him for a minute before shaking her head and sighing in relief. Ratchet hadn't reacted when Maggie had entered, so he was probably recharging.

Maggie was about to leave when someone spoke. "You seem to end up in the medbay more often than Ironhide does."

Maggie turned back to Ratchet, who was still in vehicle form. She felt her face turn bright red in embarrassment. She really didn't want to talk to any of the Autobots if they were only going to talk about her injuries.

Maggie must have been quiet for too long because Ratchet transformed into his bipedal mode with a slightly concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Maggie responded, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm just fine."

Ratchet's expression didn't change. "You're hurt."

Maggie blinked at the medic. She thought she had done a good job hiding her bruises that morning. She put ice on, she put makeup on, she even Googled ways to hide her wounds. Maggie didn't understand how someone could see them after everything she had done. She wanted to get out of that room and get to Glen. She didn't want to see someone giving her a look of concern. She just wanted to do her job and go home.

"I'm _fine_." Maggie insisted, turning around to leave.

Ratchet cycled his vents. "There's a defensive bruise on your arm."

Maggie turned back around to face Ratchet. "Ratchet, I'm fine! Please, back off!"

The medic's optics widened slightly. Maggie couldn't tell if Ratchet was surprised, upset, or angry. Maggie was about to say something else when her phone rang. She picked it up and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" Maggie paused, listening to Glen excitedly asking her where she was. "I went into the wrong room. I'll be there soon."

Maggie ended the call and sighed. She hadn't meant to snap at Ratchet. She was just tired and frustrated. Maggie was about to apologize when Ratchet spoke up first. "Glen is a few doors down from here. To your left."

Maggie opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it before any words came out. She glanced down at the floor for a moment before walking towards the door. Before she left, Maggie glanced back at Ratchet. He had moved over to the table and began working on something Maggie couldn't see.

Maggie followed Ratchet's directions and stepped towards the door she was told led where she wanted to go.

* * *

><p>It was almost midnight, and only a few of NEST's members were awake. Most of the soldiers had gone home a couple hours earlier. Lennox and Epps were still at NEST, trying to help Optimus decode the rest of the message. Lennox knew that if it took an <em>Autobot<em> that long to figure something out, it would take a few million years for a _human_ to figure it out. But, even if it would take a million years, Lennox would do anything to help.

Ironhide was in the room as well. He and Optimus appeared to be having a conversation over an uplink. Ironhide looked extremely frustrated, while Optimus seemed to be trying to calm him down.

Lennox and Epps had been playing the coded message to themselves, trying to match any of the syllables to another one. They found another couple words with the help of the Autobots, but they still had no idea what the message was about.

Epps sighed and stretched his arms. "What do we know now?"

Lennox looked over at his fellow soldier. "I know, the toll of these, weighs on your spark."

Optimus had been silent for most of the day, trying to focus on the message. He knew that Megatron wanted him to know something, and that what Megatron wanted him to know wasn't good. Optimus listened to the code again, trying to find something that would clear up the rest of the message.

He and Ironhide had been talking over an uplink a minute before. Ironhide had been annoyed with their progress on deciphering the code. They hadn't figured out anything else in the past few hours. Optimus had told the weapon specialist that they just had to be patient.

After a few minutes, Ratchet walked into the room. He looked slightly concerned, though only those who knew him well could see it. He quickly requested an uplink with Optimus and Ironhide, and they both accepted.

_'Maggie has been hurt again.' _Ratchet crossed his arms. '_She has some defensive bruises, and when I tried to ask her what happened, she became angry.'_

_'She's been avoiding us as well.' _Ironhide turned towards the medic. _'She's obviously trying to hide something. I want to know why the frag she's lying to us.'_

Ratchet glanced at Optimus, who was listening to Ironhide and Ratchet instead of trying to decipher the code. Optimus also knew that something was wrong with Maggie.

Ratchet and Ironhide didn't know how to continue the conversation. They both tried to find a reason for Maggie's wounds, and a reason for why she was hiding them, but they couldn't come up with anything. The Autobots didn't like being left in the dark.

Optimus looked over to the two humans in the room with them, watching them listen to the code again. The two soldiers appeared to be having a conversation about their wives. They played the end of the code again while they were talking.

Optimus cycled his vents. His tone became softer than the other Autobots had heard in a while. _'I've noticed none of the humans said anything about Ms. Madsen's wounds.'_

Ratchet and Ironhide looked at their leader. Their optics became slightly wider when they realized that Optimus was right. All of the humans treated her like they normally would. They didn't even glance at her arm or her cheek. None of them had even seemed to notice that Maggie was hurt.

_'Maggie's getting injuries quicker than we are figuring out how she got them.' _Ironhide grumbled. _'It's almost like we're reading a book backwards instead of the way it's been written.'_

Optimus' optics widened. Neither of the other Autobots noticed. Ratchet chuckled slightly. _'Ironhide, that was probably the most poetic thing I have ever heard out of you.'_

Ironhide rolled his optics. He looked over to Optimus. Ironhide was about to say something when he realized that Optimus had froze. "Prime?"

Suddenly, Optimus turned towards Will. "Major Lennox, could you play the message again?"

Will nodded and repeated the message on his computer. Optimus dimmed his optics and listened intently while the other Autobots watched and waited to see what their leader would do.

After the audio ended, Optimus spoke again. "Would you play the recording in reverse?"

Ironhide and Ratchet immediately realized what Optimus was doing, but Lennox and Epps still had no idea. Confused, Will played the message backwards. Screeches came out of the speakers again, and Optimus' optics widened.

Ratchet saw his leader's worried expression, and in turn became worried himself. "What did it say?"

Optimus clearly didn't know how to respond. After a moment, he translated the message into English and played it for everyone to hear. Megatron's voice echoed throughout the room.

"I know how hard the toll of these insects deaths weighs on your spark."

Will immediately got to his feet. "He planned something. Optimus, Megatron wanted you to hear the message because he believed there wasn't anything you could do to stop him."

Epps grabbed a gun and threw the strap over his shoulder. "We've got the element of surprise."

Optimus turned around to face his soldiers. "I'll uplink Bumblebee and tell him to bring Sam and Mikaela to NEST. Ironhide, you're with me. Ratchet, get Ms. Madsen and bring her back here."

Ironhide twirled his cannons and transformed into his bipedal mode. With a wail of his sirens, Ratchet transformed as well. Finally, it was Optimus' turn.

"Autobots, roll out!"


	5. Chapter 5

Ratchet drove down the nearly empty streets with his siren blasting. He had to hurry. Megatron was way too many steps ahead of the Autobots, and they had no time to catch up.

Megatron was going to try and kill every human the Autobots protect. The Autobots didn't have any concrete proof that revealed the Decepticon leader's true intentions, but Optimus knew Megatron before there was any need for a gun. Ratchet trusted his leader's word completely.

The Autobot medic slowed down as he reached Maggie Madsen's house. With a wail of protest, his siren silenced. Ratchet increased the range of his audio receptors to check for any Decepticon activity. When he detected none, he dimmed his headlight and blared his horn repeatedly.

Quickly growing impatient, Ratchet was about to honk louder when he saw Maggie glance out of her window. She appeared to be heading to the door when Ratchet heard her speak. "I have to go back to work."

A masculine voice spoke up. "Are you_ kidding _me? You haven't even cooked dinner yet!"

"They wouldn't come to get me unless it was an emergency, Joey. I'll make you something when I get back, okay?" Maggie said.

"They never came to bring you to work before," The man, Joey, growled. "That's not even where you're going, is it?"

"What?" Maggie replied. Ratchet could clearly hear the shock in Maggie's voice. "No, that's not-"

"You don't even work for the government, do you? I knew it!" Joey yelled.

The door opened and Maggie took a step out. "I have to go."

Joey grabbed Maggie's arm firmly and pulled her back. He stared into Ratchet's windows to see if anyone was there. When he couldn't see anyone around who could witness anything, he squeezed Maggie's arm tighter. "I'm sick and tired of this!"

Ratchet could only watch as Maggie struggled to get free, no matter how tempted he was to transform and give Joey a lesson he would never forget. Maggie glanced at Ratchet for a moment before looking back at Joey, desperately. "Please, no!"

Joey pulled his arm back and slapped Maggie as hard as he could.

Maggie fell hard onto the sidewalk. She laid still for a moment, shocked. She tried to get up, but Joey placed his foot on her back and held her to the ground. Maggie stared at Joey in horror. Joey raised his hand again.

Ratchet transformed faster than he had since he was on Cybertron. He slowly stepped towards Joey, his arm shifting into a buzzsaw. Ratchet glared daggers at Joey, whose eyes were so wide they looked like they might fall out of their sockets. Ratchet's voice lowered gravely as he spoke only one word.

"_Run_."

Joey took that word to heart, tripping over his own feet as he tried to get as far away from the Autobot as possible. He didn't care that he left all of his belongings at the house.

Maggie watched as her boyfriend ran out of sight. She pushed herself up onto her feet. Rage swept over her.

"Why did you do that!" Maggie yelled, craning her head upwards to glare at the Autobot. Ratchet ignored Maggie's outburst and proceeded to scan her for injuries.

"I should have known," Ratchet grumbled to himself. After confirming that Maggie's life wasn't in any imminent danger, Ratchet returned to his vehicle mode and opened his passenger door. "Get in."

Maggie was inclined to refuse, but common sense got the best of her. She knew that Ratchet wouldn't have come to get her if something wasn't wrong. Reluctantly, Maggie shuffled into Ratchet's passenger seat and put her seatbelt on. Ratchet shut his door and drove back the way he came.

Ratchet quickly informed her of the situation, getting straight to the point. "Megatron might be planning on killing you. I'm bringing you back to NEST for your protection."

Maggie only nodded. She was still trying to come to grips with what had happened. Joey had gotten mad again. Ratchet scared Joey. Joey ran away. Maggie crossed her arms, anger boiling inside of her. Ratchet had just scared her boyfriend off. She was probably never going to see Joey again.

The Autobot and the human remained silent for a few minutes before Ratchet voiced his opinion. "You lied to us, Maggie. Why didn't you tell us that Joey was hurting you?"

Maggie glared out the window, her stubbornness taking control of her. Maggie wasn't planning on talking to anyone for a while.

Ratchet continued pressuring. "Maggie, answer me."

"He doesn't do it on purpose," Maggie replied, glaring at the steering wheel. "He was just upset that I was leaving."

"I'll say," Ratchet let out an aggravated snort. "He held you so hard he bruised your arm."

Maggie didn't know what to say to that. She unconsciously rubbed her bruises, wincing at the pain.

The medic stayed silent as well. The only reference for human affection Ratchet had witnessed was between Sam and Mikaela, and they had never attempted to harm each other. Ratchet continued talking. "Why would you stay around someone who would do that to you?"

Maggie huffed, completely stressed out. "He doesn't mean it! He loves me!"

Ratchet didn't understand. "Do humans usually hurt the ones they love?"

Those words left Maggie in a shocked silence. She swallowed back a sob that was trying to leave her throat. Maggie quickly wiped her tears in hopes that Ratchet wouldn't see her cry.

Ratchet did see. He was about to ask Maggie what was wrong when a jet flew right in front of him and forced him to swerve off of the road. Ratchet sped back onto the road, once again blaring his siren. Barely any cars pulled over to let the ambulance by, much to Ratchet's chagrin. The jet was still following him.

Ratchet drove into a barely populated area. He quickly opened his passenger door, urging Maggie to get out. Once Maggie was out of harms way, Ratchet transformed into his bipedal mode and scanned to area for a Decepticon.

At first, the scans came up empty, then a few seconds later a blast hit Ratchet in the shoulder. Ratchet grunted before watching as the jet landed and transformed. "Ah, the Autobot medic. When I detected an Autobot signal, I expected someone more... prudent."

Ratchet took a step in front of Maggie, trying to shield her from the Decepticons view. "Starscream..."

"Are you trying to stop me from getting one, insignificant little human?" Starscream chuckled darkly.

"I'm not _trying_." Ratchet countered, watching the Decepticon closely for any signs of an attack. Starscream grumbled, all humor gone from his features.

A loud rev of an engine caught everyone's attention. Bumblebee drove up next to Maggie, opening his backseat door and honking for her to get in.

Maggie looked up at Ratchet and the medic nodded. "Go. I'll distract him."

Maggie opened her mouth to say something, then shook her head and slipped inside Bumblebee. Maggie saw that both Sam and Mikaela were already inside, both sitting in the front. The Autobot scout immediately sped away from the battle. Maggie looked back to Ratchet as Starscream lunged at him. Bumblebee turned around a corner before Maggie could see the outcome of the attack.

Sam raised an eyebrow at Maggie, who wiped her eyes again. "Hey, why are you-"

Sam was quickly interrupted by Bumblebee, who blasted the song 'Shut Up' by the Black Eyed Peas. Sam slowly leaned back into his seat, wondering what he had said to make Bumblebee act that way.

Mikaela smiled at Maggie, slightly confused. "Ratchet will be okay, Maggie."

Maggie's mouth twitched upwards for a brief second. "I know."

Maggie spent the rest of the drive trying to sort her thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

Optimus and Ironhide were back at the base, having dealt with Megatron and Barricade rather swiftly. The Decepticons were forced to retreat after Megatron almost blew himself up by firing next to a gas station. Ironhide thought it was hilarious.

Even though his guardian was entertained, Major William Lennox was not pleased with himself.

Bumblebee drove into NEST slowly. He stopped to open his doors and let the humans out transforming only after there was no one left inside. Sam and Mikaela had exited first, followed by Maggie. Maggie had stopped crying before they had arrived, but her face was still stained with tears.

Glen walked over to Maggie, swiftly wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. After a few seconds, Glen broke the embrace.

"You know, if you need to cry on someone's shoulder, I'm here for you." Glen said as walked over to a nearby desk and picked up a cup. He held it out to Maggie. "I got you some coffee."

Maggie briefly smiled before taking the cup in both hands, thanking Glen before taking a sip of the drink.

Lennox swallowed, shifting his footing. He took a few steps forward and put a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Maggie, I'm sorry. I should have seen what he was doing to you."

Maggie said her thanks again. She glanced around for a moment, tapping her fingers against the sides of the cup. When she couldn't find what she was searching for, she looked towards the Autobots in the room, questioningly. "Where's Ratchet?"

Optimus paused before replying. "I'm afraid we have been unable to contact him."

Maggie blinked before looking away, hoping that the battle had ended in the medic's favor. Ratchet had helped her realize how wrong Joey was for hurting her. She knew she at least owed Ratchet an apology for yelling at him earlier. Maggie shifted her footing, nervously. Ratchet better have won. If he didn't, Maggie would never have the chance to thank him for what he had done. Maggie actually thought Joey would have killed her if Ratchet hadn't gotten there in time.

Epps stood up from his slouched position. "It's kind of weird that aliens from another planet, who know almost absolutely nothing about our way of life or anything, are the only ones who saw there was a problem."

What Epps said was true. Earlier, over an uplink, Bumblebee had informed Optimus of what had been witnessed at Maggie's house. The Autobot leader immediately felt guilty for not realizing beforehand, but he was glad that the situation had been settled before things got even worse.

Optimus had explained to Lennox about what happened with Maggie. Lennox was skeptical at first, but when the Autobot leader talked about how Maggie was acting for the last while and all of the bruises they had seen, Lennox went silent. He thought he knew all of NEST very well. He treated them like his own family. Yet, as Epps said, it took a bunch of aliens who knew nothing about Earth's culture to notice that something was wrong.

The room remained silent. Glen stayed next to Maggie, giving her small words of comfort every now and again. Maggie didn't know what to feel. Her boyfriend was gone. He was never going to come back, no matter how much she hoped he would. But, Maggie knew that if Joey ever came back, he would probably kill her.

A loud rumble coming from outside caught everyone's attention. They all turned around to see a partially beaten up ambulance, it's sirin wailing it's hello.

* * *

><p>Maggie walked down the large hallways of the NEST base, looking around to see if she was going the right way. She had finally spent enough time in the building to know exactly where she was going.<p>

The area seemed familiar, which only made Maggie feel more confident in the fact that she knew where she was. Though, to be certain, Maggie tried to find a way to confirm she was in the right place. No one was waiting for her, but she was still moving quickly.

Rubbing her arm unconsciously, Maggie stepped towards the door she knew led where she wanted to go. She was completely sure she recognized the door. She paused outside of the door and listened to check if anyone was inside. After hearing the faint sound of something being tinkered with, Maggie twisted the knob and opened the door.

Maggie took a few steps inside, completely remembering what room it was. Ratchet was sitting on the edge of some large slabs of metal that looked like a mixture of a table and a bed. The medic was trying to fix his arm.

Starscream had managed to damage Ratchet enough for him to require external aid. Ratchet mused that he was probably hit with a lucky shot, since Starscream seemed to be as surprised as he was that the shot had hit it's target.

The corners of Maggie's mouth twitched upwards when she realized she had finally gotten to where she wanted to go. She had wandered into the med bay again.

Ratchet paused and glanced up when Maggie stepped in before returning to his work. Maggie spoke first. "How's your arm?"

Ratchet shrugged as best as he could in his position. "It will be fine in a day or two. I just need to fix the outer armor and my self-repair systems will do the rest."

Maggie took a second to process the words the medic used, then she nodded. "Ah. That's good."

The Autobot and the human remained silent for a while after that. The only noise was the sound Ratchet's tools made as they came into contact with his injury. When Ratchet finally finished, he stood up and placed his tools on the top of a nearby desk before sitting down again.

Ratchet turned towards Maggie, a smirk appearing on his face for a split second before he returned to his neutral expression. "You've been in the med bay three times since Ironhide has. I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to say to that."

"Wow, he's really going to have to step up his game if he wants to catch up to me." Maggie let out a small laugh, brushing her hair out of her face. Ratchet made a noise that sounded somewhat like an annoyed laugh, except more optimistic.

After a minute, Ratchet's face became serious again. "Why are you here? Did Joey hurt you again?"

"No, he didn't." Maggie replied, shaking her head. Her voice wavered and lowered briefly. "I haven't seen Joey ever since you scared him off."

Ratchet stared at her, raising an optic ridge. He spoke slightly slower in a disbelieving tone. "Don't tell me you wanted him to stay after what he did to you."

Maggie blinked in surprise. "Oh, no. Never. But..."

Maggie frowned, shifting her footing again. Ratchet watched her, waiting for her to continue. Maggie tried to decide whether or not to say what she was thinking. It would take a load off of her chest, but it just wasn't something you told someone who saved you. She sighed.

"I... I must admit, I really hated you for interfering with my life." Maggie said quietly, crossing her arms. "I know it's irrational, but I'm still kind of angry..."

Maggie watched as Ratchet stared at her for a moment before frowning and turning his back to her, working with something on his desk that she couldn't see, and Maggie immediately regretted what she had said. She mentally scolded herself for saying something so stupid.

Maggie wanted to apologize, but she didn't know what to say or how it would even begin to make everything right again. She had pretty much just told the person who possibly saved her life that she hated him. Maggie didn't know what to do. She stood there silently before she glanced down and reluctantly walked slowly towards the door, reaching out and grabbing the handle. She paused.

"Ratchet?" Maggie said, turning back around to face the medic. Ratchet watched her again, still frowning, waiting for her to speak. Maggie swallowed, speaking the only words that would properly express what she wanted to say. "Thank you."

Ratchet seemed slightly taken aback, as if people didn't usually show a lot of gratitude towards him through words. Not really knowing how to respond, he only nodded.

Maggie smiled, and for the first time in a while it was real. She spun back around and stepped out of the med bay, feeling a sudden warmth throughout her entire body that she hadn't felt in a long time.

She was free.


End file.
